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Poster: ringolevio Date: Jan 15, 2011 3:55am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Of course the 19 year old will note gently, "But you have this song already."

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Poster: SpinnerChick Date: Jan 15, 2011 4:34am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Thanks WIlliam, your post is very gentile and made me smile... The answer for any ref as i have learned from one of the links posted: when transferring whole shows you need to download them to the computer 1st and then drop them in Itunes. If you only want to do one song at a time you can simply drag it to a Playlist...

A good morning to all

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Poster: boltman Date: Jan 15, 2011 6:18am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

A little late checking in, but sounds like you've got it...been using a Mac for longer than I care to admit I've even been alive. I choose the VBR ZIP file, download into a file I cleverly have labeled DOWNLOADS then drag the entire folder into "Music" in iTunes and start listening.

If you are looking for stuff not found here might want to browse eTree or Lossless Legs, if you can get an account.

Welcome, I'm a Lurker so this may be one of the few times you hear from me.

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:01am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Stick around boltman, the more the merrier.

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Poster: vapors Date: Jan 15, 2011 7:11am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Hey boltman, just curious - are you saying that on a mac you don’t have to extract the ZIP file first?

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 7:59am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Usually a mac will extract from a downloaded .zip automatically. I know it always works whenever i download stuff from archive.org.

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Poster: unclejohn52 Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:01am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

On a Mac here also - yes you have to extract, but the Mac makes the process very easy. (just double-click, does it automatically.) Add to iTunes thereafter. Welcome to Spinner - we need more women in these parts, some of the old cranky bastards here are gettin' uppity.

There is so much material here - I mostly just stream it rather than DL it.

Now for the million-dollar question - is there a Mac equivalent to Trader's Little Helper? What does a Mac user do with Flac files ? Will I really hear a difference on an iPod with decent headphones?

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:18am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

you can convert them to .aiff using a free program called xACT.

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/14246/xact

Of course you will now have a file that is 10x larger than the 192 mbps VBR mp3 you are probably using on the ipod now. If you add the .aiff to itunes you can further convert them to apple lossless (ALAC). This is the apple equivalent of FLAC and will compress the files to about half the size of the .aiff files.

Can you hear a difference from .mp3s on an ipod? I think that depends on your ears and headphones. I think i can between a 192 mbps VBR and lossless however if i create 320 mbps .mp3 files i really can't hear a difference. This seems to vary from individual to individual so you pretty much have to figure it out for yourself. Hey, a least it is a fun exercise.

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Poster: unclejohn52 Date: Jan 15, 2011 11:35am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

thanks elbow and bolt. have to play around... both look promising. Of course, this means a several step process - DL, convert FLAC to aiff, then convert to ALAC. Do folks keep all these files, or pitch out the FLAC when done?

Current settings (iTunes prefs) for CD import are AAC Encoder. Following up on your post - import to iTunes first, or change this pref to ALAC before import of the converted aiff's?

Also this brings up a more general question - how does everyone here listen to all this digital music? Is everyone burning disks of their dl's so they can be played on the home stereo or car stereo? (The Apple solution would be to get the Airport and stream this digitally to the home stereo.) I'm currently doing 99% of my listening at the computer (Logitech THX with a big sub-woofer) or iPod, since I never got around to replacing the analog home stereo. Love to hear about everyone's sound system.

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 11:53am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Yes i think you could just change your itunes import to ALAC and that would do the trick. I think the import is for playlists, i never have used it for this. I usually just add the AIFFs to the library using Add To Library and then convert in ALAC in itunes and then delete the AIFFs.

As for keeping files, if i convert to ALAC and/or mp3 i chuck the AIFF files since they are the biggest. You can burn discs from ALAC just fine. I try to keep the FLACs as they are good for trading purposes. Of course this means more LaCie 2TB external disc drives and the risk of divorce.

How do i listen? ipod (mp3 and alac), iphone (aac to save space), computer hooked to speakers at work or home. For commercial releases i rip them for all of these however I also listen to those CDs in my truck. There was that one time i had to hear how the 24 bit version of the latest Charlie Miller transfer of 4-29-71 sounded asap but had to run some errands and go to work so i plugged my notebook computer into the aux of my pickup truck. Sounded great especially the best H2H ever, but was a little nervous of having to hit the brakes.

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Poster: boltman Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:15am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

With FLAC files, I convert using Switch. Think there are both free and paid versions. Another freebie that sticks in my head (hope I'm correct) is Cog.

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:02am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Glad you were able to get the answer. Overall i think you will find that this is an informative place and the people are pretty helpful. Just don't ask about downloading sbds, as the band policy is that they are for streaming only, and if you can refrain from asking people what their Top 10 favorite (insert any random thought here) list is, I would be most grateful. I hope that has run its course. Enjoy the music and the company.

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Poster: William Tell Date: Jan 15, 2011 1:32pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Top Ten hater! Boy...just when my OCD was finding its natural equilibrium as a result of the many offerings of the Forum of late (if I can't rank "it", whatever "it" is, I always say "why even bother with it"?

;)

JK, of course; was getting tiresome.

But I do have a question: has the time come when it is no longer necessary to warn fair ladies from the clutches of over-attentive aged Tell?

The fact that no one mentioned this (historically speaking) requisite for any and all newbies of the XX variety, is a pleasant surprise.

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 15, 2011 1:38pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

To answer your question, i doubt it but you never know. I was surprised that you weren't all over this thread, in your usual stop on a dime, hey now there's a new woman around, ladies man sort of way. That said, given how our ex-spinner was initially treated, it was probably for the better anyways. Now i am thinking that you might be trying out a newer more subtle approach. Well i guess anything would be more subtle than your previous methods.

Yes the lists are boring to me, besides i can't figure out how they left you off that top 10 genius one. I guess that makes two of us........

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Poster: William Tell Date: Jan 15, 2011 8:13pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

Ah...that's the ticket; I use my lethargy to advantage. Rather being seen for what it is, it will appear an actual "Tell, marketing strategy 101", and someday soon, we can debate if this accidental "new" approach was in fact, a true "biz strategy", or merely a byproduct of early onset dementia.

And if you can recall what that all is about, well, you've got a good memory my friend!

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Jan 16, 2011 6:09am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Help a tech-challenged sister out!

The discussion you refer to came up the other day:

http://www.archive.org/post/342733/and-now-for-something-completely-dead-related-no-really